Dream On
by AngeloftheMorning1978
Summary: Two years after the Fischer Inception. A tragic death of a friend forces the Team to re-unite to face a darker force then COBAL. The 4th in my series after "Dream", "Bliss, and "Dream a Little Bigger Darling." LOTS of A&A.
1. Chapter 1

Dream on...

** Two years after the Fischer Inception. The Team re-unites to face a darker force then COBAL. The 4th in my series after "Dream", "Bliss, and "Dream a Little Bigger Darling." LOTS of A&A. I thought it would be best to reintroduce some characters and the other names I use for them.**

_**Cobb**- The Extractor_

_**Arthur**- The Point Man_

_**Ariadne**- The Architect_

_**Eames**- The Forger_

_**Saito**- The Business Man_

_**Yori**- The Doctor_

_**Sybil**- The Control, The Teenage Girl_

_**Hecate**- The Chemist_

_**Braker**- The Australian Extractor_

_**James & Phillipa**- The Children_

_**Shin**- Saito & Yori's son_

_**Yuseff**- The Chemist_

_**Hagion**- The Sanctuary_

**Thailand**

The Architect was looking over exotic fruit in the beautiful anarchy that was the local market. One of the best parts of traveling the world was being in places just like this. She snapped some pictures of the colorful produce. The smiling old vendors nodded their approval at the pretty American girl. She strolled happily though the maze of market goers and stands. It suddenly came on her that this market, would make an excellent maze for dream extraction.

"Still have the bug huh?" Arthur asked that evening. They were fixing dinner together and she had told him of the mass confusion of the market. How when they decided to work in dream extraction again, that she intended to use the market.

"So do you." She accused chopping onions. He laughed.

"Course I do." He admitted. "I never did dream extraction for any other reason then the thrill of it." He shrugged and looked at her slyly. "Also for the women." She playfully slapped his hands away from advancing on her and tried not to blush. Arthur had shared her home on "The Minotaur" for a year now. They had started their journey from Greece and sailed to Australia to see Braker and his Team. All of them were making remarkable strides in coming back from the mind manipulation of the PASIV-4.

Looking at the Architect and Point Man now, they were remarkably different from their first meeting in Paris 2 years ago. They were both tan and less careful with there looks. Ariadne had grown her hair out and had taken to dressing even more bohemian. Arthur had gotten tired to trying to maintain his usual style. It was to difficult to make port for such things as a hair cut and he refused his lover's suggestion of letting it grow out. So he had allowed her give him a very close cropped hair cut that he found much more freeing. He had given up his habit of careful suits in favor anything casual. The couple had learned to adapt to the colorful countries they had visited. They were never tourists, they never stood out, they were just stopping by. Arthur left his Lady to finish coking their simple meal and checked his email.

"We got an email from Saito." He told her. She nodded.

"I can't believe we'll be in Japan next month for Saito and Yori's ceremony." She said with a smile. "Get to see Cobb, and the Kids. Eames." She said with a laugh. "I hope Sybil can make it. You know how teenagers are. She's already 15 now." Ariadne shook her head. "Cobb sent us those pictures of the kids last week, I can't believe how big they are." She sighed "And little Shin, Yori sent us pictures last week. He looks just like his mother."

"Ariadne." Arthur said coldly. She turned and looked the Point Man. He was hunched over the much used laptop, he tore his eyes away form the screen. "Yuseffs dead." He said softly.

**Tokyo**

The Forger and the Teenage Girl sat in a hole in the wall sushi hut. It was pouring down rain and the city still hummed along, despite the wet.

"Nothing like sushi in Japan." Sybil said woofing down her selection.

"Thought you didn't like Japanese cuisine." Eames said with a laugh.

"That was along time ago." She said shocked.

"It was only a year ago, Little One." He corrected. She shrugged. Eames looked the same as always. He had put on a few pounds from the comfortable life he lead in Amsterdam. He shared the city in the Netherlands with Sybil. She lived with her Mother's old friend Hagion. The Teenage Girl was now much taller and had taken on the lovely proportions of a young woman. Her style however, was just as bold as ever. She was still blond, but with bolts of pink running down her tresses. Despite always wanting to remain a _shade_ in the minds of people around her, she always stood out. Being a shade was still important. The Team still had to remain below radar. COBAL was no longer the force it had been a year ago, but they were still out there. The Team had to blend in.

"So when did they say they were gonna get here?" Sybil asked looking around the empty restaurant.

"There on a sail boat, Darling." Eames said. His gaze never left the wall of rain that hid the city from him. He couldn't help but think that the rain hid everything. In a good way. Suddenly he saw two figures coming out of the shadow of the storm. Man and woman. Eames smiled as they approached the restaurant and the man held the door open for his companion.

Ariadne and Arthur looked wonderful. They booth looked healthy and happy. Arthur shook out the two umbrella's and nodded at the Forger.

"Good to see you." Eames said standing up and giving Ariadne a quick hug. He was surprised when Arthur embraced him as well. "My God you two look amazing." Eames said looking them over. "The love boat agrees with you then?" The couple laughed and turned their attention to Sybil. After quick hugs and exclamations over how much she had changed, how good everyone looked, Things became more serious.

"Cobb will be down in a few hours." Sybil said. "He had to arrange for James and Phillipa to be taken care of."

"Why didn't he just bring them to Japan?" Ariadne asked. The Teenage Girl shrugged.

"I'm sure he has his reasons." Eames said.

"Tell us what happened to Yuseff." Arthur said. His voice had returned to the stoniness he had not used in so many months.

"He was in London." Eames began "Running his little 'Dreamers Den', he was found last month in a warehouse, He had been shot in the head. His employees said he had been missing for 6 weeks. Forensics said he had only been dead a few hours before his body was found. There was also evidence of torture." The Forger finished looking uncomfortable.

"It was to precise to be COBAL." Sybil said nonchalantly. "He was taken quickly and quietly. No ransom demands, no evidence, nothing. We still don't know where he was being kept." She shrugged as if the Chemist's death was nothing to her. "COBAL never dose anything that cleanly."

Arthur nodded remembering Ariadne's apartment in Paris after COBAL grabbed her. He looked at Ariadne then and saw she was lost in thought. The gravity of what was happening was hitting her very hard.

"What say we all head home?" Eames said, his voice suddenly bright. "Saito has kept the old place up. He and Yori are going to bring the baby by later." Ariadne's face brightened at this. She smiled at Arthur and nodded.

A quick stop in the market and the group of four were back in Ariadne's old apartment. It was true Saito had kept it up. It was as if they never left. There was not even a musty smell. It felt like they had only been gone 15 minutes instead of 15 months. Eames immediately went to the T.V. And started watching his games shows. Sybil put her travel bag in the guest room that had been hers, and stayed there with the door closed. Arthur and his lady quickly unpacked in the room they would share before starting dinner. It had become their habit on ship to cook together, eat together, and clean up together. The confines of the ship made it hard to do things separately. It felt suddenly that the apartment was to big. They had more space then was needed.

"I bet it will be nice to sleep on dry land for a change." Eames said during a commercial break.

"Yeah." Ariadne said, "It will. I'll be glad to use my dark room again." She added cutting up vegetables. "I can't count how many rolls of film I have from India and Tibet. I haven't even touched them."

There was a soft knock on the door and Arthur let Saito and Yori in. Yori held a small baby in her arms swaddled in a home made blanket. (A present from Ariadne) The Architect gasped when she saw them. In a sacred bond known only to women, Yori and Ariadne exclaimed over the baby. Saito beamed with the pride of new Fatherhood. The Doctor handed her son over to the Architect who couldn't decide if she wanted to laugh or cry over the new life. She found herself doing both.  
>"He's so warm." She said softly holding Shin and laughing.<p>

"Watch yourself, Mate." Eames said to Arthur quietly. "I see the start of being baby crazy." The Point Man cast the Forger a filthy look.

"Cobb's flight came in an hour ago. We picked him up." Saito said. He looked nervous. "He is downstairs with his new Chemist." He finished.

The group was silent at this.

"New Chemist?" Arthur repeated. Saito nodded.

"She came from America with him." Yori added. The group didn't have time to ask anything more of him because Cobb made his entrance. Behind him was his new Chemist.

She was tall, lean, exotic and very stunning. She had to be in her late 30s and looked very self poised. The kind of woman who took care of herself and had a very simple but elegant style.

"Hi guys." Cobb said. He seemed shy. "I'm glad to see everyone again." The Team all looked at the woman. Cobb held out his arm and she stepped to his side.

"This is Hecate*." He said introducing her. "She and I have been working on extractions for a few months now." the Team said nothing and only exchanged nervous glaces. It was a relief when Sybil broke the tension by noisily coming out of her room. She stopped when she saw the visitors. Her eyes widened. She help out a hand and pointed it at Hecate.

"She works for COBAL." The Girl said plainly.

* _**Hecate - death and vengeance goddess, originally from Babylonian myth, but depending on the source, carried over to Greek.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Revelations

**I'm so sorry Braker is the Australian FORGER. I know this chapter is a little long, but it has A&A at the end. **

As if Cobb's new friend had the plague, they backed away from her. Only Cobb stood by her. Ariadne handed the baby back to Yori as Satio put a protective arm around his family. Arthur positioned himself between Ariadne and Hecate.  
>"How do you know she works for COBAL, Little One?" Eames asked not taking his eyes off the interloper.<p>

"Because I _did_ work for COBAL." Hecate said calmly. Arthur shook his head.

"I already know about Hecate working for COBAL." Cobb told them. "She is not with COBAL anymore."

"No one just stops working for COBAL." Sybil said curtly.

"You did, I did." Hecate said

"I_ never_ worked for COBAL." The Girl said in an emotionless monotone. Hecate snorted.

"Sybil has earned our trust." Saito interrupted. "Many times over."

"She earned that trust with documents of a PASIV-4?" Hecate told the Business Man. She nodded as the Team looked at her with wide eyes. "The PASIV-4 was never intended for practical applications. It was stolen from our research labs by rouge extractors. At first we thought it was all of you. You stole the first one. COBAL gave up on the PASIV-4 over a year and a half ago, After what happened to Jim. They started looking at... larger goals." Hecate said.

"Larger goals?" Arthur repeated

"You, all of you." Hecate said looking at each of them "Jim gave COBAL information about your Architect. Her talents. That fact she was able to trap him in a dream was more then enough to sell them on her."

"So is that's why your here?" Ariadne asked. "To bring me in?"  
>"No." Hecate said. "I defected from COBAL after your little inception of Browning."<p>

"We made it impossible for Browning to work with COBAL." Cobb told them.  
>"Cobb, we cant trust her." Sybil said<p>

"Yes we can." The Extractor told the Girl

"No we can't." Arthur said harshly.

"Ariadne, this woman was behind your kidnapping." Sybil said. Arthur snapped his full attention to Hecate. The Chemist nodded.

"That is true." She admitted. "I convinced COBAL to take her alive. Try and get her to work for us."

"What?" Ariadne breathed. The memories of her ordeal came crashing back to her.

"It was either that or kill you." Hecate said.

"Lets all sit down and talk this out." Cobb said

"No." Ariadne said sharply. "That woman is not welcome here." Arthur nodded. His jaw set in a fierceness he had not needed to use in many months. Hecate nodded and turned to the Extractor.

"Cobb, I'll be down at that little coffee shop." She said laying a slender hand on his chest. The demure gesture cause Ariadne's brain to start ticking. It was to intimate. Someone like herself or Yori would never do, but someone like Mal would have done.

It was at the large dinner table the Team collected themselves and Cobb started explaining.

"I met her 6 months ago while looking for team members for a job." He told them. She told me right away how she worked for COBAL. That she had been a Chemist for them. That she had created her own compounds according to COBAL's wishes."

"Tell us exactly what she had to do with my kidnapping." Ariadne said feeling her face burn.

"She eventually told me about it. She knew COBAL was after Extractors, Forgers, and Architects. They selected people based on their skills and their ability to be manipulated into working for COBAL. They chose Ariadne because she was trained by us, because she was young, and she had only worked one job." Cobb told them.

"Did _she_ chose me?" Ariadne asked feeling like Cobb's explanation was taking to long. She _had_ to know.

"Yes." Cobb said. "But like she said, if they didn't kidnap you, they would have killed you." Ariadne fell back in her chair. Her face betrayed the look of hurt.  
>"We can't trust her." Eames said<p>

"I remember Hecate. She was a top level Chemist. She put me under when I dreamed." The Girl looked at Cobb with cold eyes. "Lets just say it was not pleasant."

"I've been working with her for 6 months now. We have been on three extractions together." Cobb told them.

"So what?" Arthur said coldly. "You brought COBAL to our door. Exposed us."

"I trust her." Cobb told them.

"Because your sleeping with her?" Ariadne asked quietly. The Team fell silent at this. Cobb looked slightly embarrassed.

"That has nothing do with it." Cobb said finally.

"Yes it dose." The Architect said hotly. "Your asking us to trust this woman who selected me to be kidnapped and tortured." Cobb never met their eyes as his Team stared back at him.

"We have new information about Mr. Yuseff." Saito said finally clearing his throat. "We believe he was held for some time after his kidnapping. It is possible he gave his captures detailed information about all of us under duress. It would be wise to assume he did just that."

"Braker and his team will be coming in the morning." Yori told them. The Doctor stood up holding her new son close to her. "He needs to be changed." She said indicating the baby. Yori looked at the Architect. "Ariadne?" She asked. The Architect seemed to have snapped out of a trance and looked up at The Doctor.

"Yes." She said with half a smile. Ariadne stood up and walked over to the Teenage Girl. "Sybil, come on." She said pulling The Girl's hand.

"Why do I have to go?" Sybil whined. Ariadne hushed her.

Inside Ariadne's little bedroom, Yori changed her son. He was a happy baby, he cooed up at his Mother with genuine love and trust. Ariadne had fled to the bathroom to wash her face, fearing tears might betray her true emotions.

"You know, I think this whole procreation thing is _way_ over rated." Sybil was saying watching Yori with interest. "I mean, it's not the greatest accomplishment of anyone's life. Look at all of the advances humanity has made. Look at the things you've done." She said gesturing to Yori.

"None of which would have been possible without procreation." Yori said with a smile.

"Hmm." Sybil shrugged. "I never want to have kids."

"You will change your mind." Yori told her.

"No. I won't. You can't undo a baby. I think if my parents had the option to undo me, they would have." Sybil admitted.

"No, they would not." Yori told her. "I'm very glad your parents couldn't undo you."

"Cobb likes being a father." Sybil added. Ignoring the compliment. "So dose Saito." She started to fidget. Ariadne had come out of her bathroom looking much better. The Girl looked at the Architect.

"You and Arthur are having sex right?" She asked. Ariadne stopped and looked at her. Yori raised her head at this and tried not to smile. Sybil shrugged. "You asked Cobb the same thing." She reasoned. "Do you think you and Arthur would ever have kids?"

"God, I don't know." Ariadne laughed, smoothing down the baby's hair as Yori picked him up. Sybil nodded.

"I think Arthur would be a good Dad." The Girl told them.

Later that night, the rain came back. Arthur and Ariadne were getting ready for bed. Sybil had made her home in the little guest room and retreated to the always respected sanctuary of teens.

"We can always stay on the ship." Arthur said brushing his teeth.

"No." Ariadne said harshly. "I'm not letting that... _woman,_ run us off." She was finishing washing her face in the joint bathroom they had to share with The Girl. Cobb and Hecate were staying down the hall in the Extractor's old apartment.

"I wonder if James and Phillipa know about her." Arthur mused.

"I'm sure they do." Ariadne said rolling her eyes. "They most likely don't know _everything_ about her. What did you guys talk about after we left?"

"Cobb has a lead on the people who he believes killed Yuseff." Arthur said following her out of the bathroom. "He wants us to perform extractions on a man named Edwards. Thinks he may have answers."

"I'm not doing anything with that woman." Ariadne said. "We can do it without her."  
>"Cobb said she can make compounds that will cause the subject to lower the defenses of the subconscious." Arthur told her. She snorted.<br>"I'll bet she has." Ariadne said climbing into bed. He almost didn't say it. He almost turned out the light and went to sleep. It was something that was meant to come out.

"Do you want to have a baby of our own someday?" He asked. Ariadne sat up.  
>"Did you and Sybil discuss all this before hand or something?" She accused. He laughed.<br>"I only ask because I saw how you looked at Yori and the baby today. It's something we never talked about. I think we need to talk about it." He admitted. She exhaled and shrugged.

"I thought we were happy." She told him "The way things are."

"We are." Arthur said quickly. "I've never been so happy."

"Then why change things?" She asked.

"People change." He answered. "You never gave me an answer."

"Because I don't have one." She told him quickly. "What about you?" She asked. "Would you want kids?"

"If I did, I would want them to be with you." He told her. She smiled a quick smile. He leaned over her then. Taking her body into his arms. He kissed her slowly and with the comfort they shared with each other. He broke the kiss and met her eyes. "I would have to see your baby pictures before I made any final commitments." He said seriously. She giggled into his kiss then as she wrapped her legs around his hips.

"Sybil's in the next room, we have to keep it down." She whispered.

"No promises." He told her, a hungry look in his eyes. "I say we should have stayed on the boat." He reached below her nightgown and grazed his hand up. He was annoyed at finding satin where he should have found skin. "You know better." He said harshly tearing down her panties. She gasped as she held onto his bare back. She found her hips starting to rock with him in a rhythm of anticipation.

"I'm sorry." She said innocently.

"No your not, but you will be." He growled pulling off her night gown. He was on her then, like a savage. Grinding his hips into her soft body, his lips and breath tasting her. She felt her body grow hot and out of control as her lover claimed her. He was so much stronger and harder. He commanded her body to react to him and she gave over to him willingly.

It came on her suddenly, as he road her to their completion. The only person she would ever want to bare a child with.


	3. Chapter 3

Wake Me Up

The rain finally let up. Cobb had called them into a meeting that morning at Saito's office buildings. Arthur was grateful that he still had his Japanese drivers licenses that enabled him to take himself, Ariadne, Eames and Sybil there without resorting to ghastly public transportation. Saito's office was still the lovely modern building. Simple and elegant. When the four of them arrived at their normal conference room, Ariadne saw Hecate. She tried to turn around but Cobb's voice stopped her.

"I know I should have said something." He said. "I should have said something a long time ago. But we need to work together right now."

"We have new information about Yuseff's kidnappers." Hecate told them. Eames grumbled.

"I'll bet you do." The Forger said taking a seat at the large conference table. Ariadne looked at Arthur who nodded to a chair. He had been Cobb's friend for to long. He had stood by Cobb's side when the Extractor lost his wife, had to leave his Children, and was haunted by his wife's memory. How could he abandon him now? Ariadne, (for Arthur's sake) took a seat next to the Forger. Arthur sat down and finally Sybil slumped in a chair.

"A man name Priam Edwards* is the CEO of a technology company in the States. They have bought parts of COBAL as well as Fischer/Marrow." Hecate said. "One of the parts they bought from COBAL was dream extraction. For the past six months, they have been assimilating information as well as extractors."  
>"They want to do the same thing as COBAL." Cobb finished. "Use extraction and inception to influence anything from the stock market, to war."<p>

"Dream extraction really is Pandora's box eh?" Came a familiar voice. The Team turned around to see Braker and the rest of the Australian Extraction Team arriving.

"Braker!" Ariadne said standing up. A smile on her face for the first time that day.

"Hello Gorgeous." The Australian Forger smiled as he gave the Architect a big hug in reunion. Arthur scowled. Ariadne and Braker had been kidnapped by COBAL almost two years ago. He had helped her realize that Cobb and the rest of her team were coming for them, thus helping them both escape. She had been close to him ever since. When the Australian Team was ambushed and gassed on a plane to Tokyo last year, the fear their minds were lost was a very real thing. Yori had used all her talents to bring them all back. It had taken a long time, but Yori's gift of bringing lost minds back from the dream world was something the Team could never repay her for, and never do without.

"Braker, this is Hecate." Ariadne said before leaning into the Australian Forger and whispering something. Braker nodded.

"We know all about her, Beautiful." He told her. "We met her a few months ago on a job Cobb took us on." Ariadne looked stunned.

"What?" She asked backing away.

"She has a compound that will make us impervious to Limbo." Braker told her.

"What do you mean?" Sybil asked looking at Hecate.

"He means, that if you drop into limbo, you can stay there for 50 years and it wont become your reality." Hecate said

"How?" Eames asked

"COBAL's research. The PASIV compound makes the dream world very sharp and real. It also makes limbo very real to. With _my_ compound, if you wind up in Limbo, you wake up and forget it just like a normal dream."

"We _have_ to remember our dream extractions." Eames told the Chemist in a catty tone. "The compounds we used help us to remember them. If we forgot them like a normal dream, extraction would be useless."

"Yes, and it also has the benefit of confusing your reality." Hecate said evenly. She cast a sorrowful look at Cobb. "Especially Limbo."

"We will still remember our extractions, our _planned_ dreams, just not the dream space of Limbo." Cobb told them.

"How do you know this will work?" Ariadne asked.  
>"Hecate specialized in Limbo." Sybil said sadly looking at her own hands.<p>

"We've tested it." Braker said. "We used a sedative like for the Fischer job, then dropped into Limbo." The Australian Forger sat down next to his Team Mates and sighed. "I remember very little of it."

"What about the top levels?" Eames asked intrigued.

"Clear as a bell." The Australian Chemist added. "Only Limbo felt like an old fashioned dream."

"We can use this new Compound on Edwards." Cobb added. "We _will_ use it on Edwards."

"How did you perfect this compound?" Sybil asked in a snotty voice, seeming to already know the answer.

"While I was at COBAL. But they don't have may research. I took it with me." Hecate said swiftly

"Not what I asked." Sybil said. Her voice was cold and she meet Hecate in the eye. "How did you perfect the compound? What kinds of tests did you use?" Hecate sighed.

"We tested the compound on a few extractors... and Sybil." The room grew silent. Hecate shrugged. "Her Father gave us permission. She had a natural gift for the dream world. We think the younger you are, the easier it is." Ariadne stood up.

"Goodbye." She said taking Sybil's hand. The two of them left the extractors to their new chemist. Arthur looked at them leaving and did not follow.

"Tell me about it." the Architect said. They were in a crowded market place. A light rain was dusting lazily over the shoppers who carried umbrella's. Sybil and Ariadne walked unprotected against the threat of a downpour. Sybil sighed and pretended to be interested in the tourist trap of light up toys.

"At first it was only dreams with the PASIV. Then they took me deeper. Then... I lost myself." She admitted sadly.

"How old were you?" The Architect asked.

"Twelve." Sybil said casually. "After I came back from that, I had enough." She told her "I stole money and the PASIV-4 documents from my Dad, came looking for Cobb and his Team."

"How long were you in Limbo?" Ariadne asked.

"A long time." Sybil said looking strait ahead. Not meeting Ariadne's eyes. The Architect noticed that the Girl had grown taller then her and had to smile despite the grave conversation. "Long enough have lived a lifetime down there. Then pulled back into the real world. Thrown back into the body... of a girl." Sybil shook her head.

Ariadne didn't know how to provide comfort. Cobb had been lost in Limbo for fifty years and it haunted him still. He sometimes had the look of a man who had lived for a long time. To long. Saito was also prone to the same look after the Fischer job. Their time in Limbo had greatly effected them. They were grown men, how must it have affected a girl not even in her teens? Sybil had always seemed older then her age. She routinely passed herself off as being older and usually got away with it. Now Ariadne knew why. The Architect followed the Girl though the market. Ignoring the driving rain.

"What did you and Sybil talk about?" Arthur asked as the couple did the dishes. Sybil had retreated to her room after eating. It had been a solemn dinner with only the three of them. Arthur had the good sense not to ask Sybil anything.  
>"She was in Limbo." Ariadne told him. She handed him a dish to rinse. "For a long time. We always thought she was mature for her age because of T.V. Or something, but..." Ariadne couldn't finish. Arthur remained silent.<p>

"What did Hecate say after we left?" She asked him

"If it's true, it's amazing." Arthur admitted. "Cobb and Braker have both been in. We can trust them."

"We can't trust her." The Architect said

"There was a time we couldn't trust Sybil." Arthur told her.

"Sybil never put a twelve year old in Limbo. It must have been horrific for her. It must be still be difficult. Mal killed herself after coming back." Ariadne said letting her hands play over the soapy water. Her thoughts wandered away from her as silence fell between them. She felt Arthur's warm lips on her forehead. He had leaned over and kissed her, breaking her free of her own oblivion.

*** Priam, King of Troy during the Trojan War.**


	4. Chapter 4

Homecoming

A few days later, the Team was in New York. After much debate, planing and experiments, everyone had agreed to join Cobb and Hecate on the mission to extract information from Edwards.

Arthur and Ariadne left their boat (under harbor master's care) back in Japan. They had all flown on a privet plane back to the states. It had been an uneventful flight. Yori and Shin had accompanied them. The reason being that it was to long of a flight to Japan if something went wrong and Yori (and Saito) were unwilling to leave there precious baby in the care of a nanny. Saito had set all of them (The Australian Team included) up in a hotel. He had bought out the entire floor for their privacy. Arthur had other ideas. It was a warm sunny day as he escorted Ariadne through the bustling people. All hurrying to there destinations.

"Why don't we just take a cab?" She asked

"Because this is New York," He laughed "Everyone walks."

"Where are we going?" She asked linking her arm in his.

"I thought, since I've seen your home in Paris, and Japan, as well as our home at sea... you might want to see where_ I_ live." He told her. She looked up at him in surprise.

"Arthur, We've been abroad for almost 2 years now. How have you kept an apartment up?" She asked looking suspicious. He smiled and didn't reply.

It was a magnificent building. Complete with an attentive doorman. When the couple entered the building the doorman, (an older and grandfatherly little man) clasped his hands together and produced a wide smile.  
>"Oh Sir!" He said. "I'm so glad to see you back. And with a friend as well. How wonderful."<p>

"Sam." Arthur said shaking the little man's hand and smiling a comfortable smile "This is Ariadne." The Point Man put his hand on her back in pride.

"Nice to meet you." She said shaking his hand. Sam put his finger to his nose and gave her a swift wink.  
>"Now, I knew Arthur here when he was just a little boy. His Mother was a lovely woman." The Doorman sighed. "It was so nice to see the fine young man he grew up to be. Well, I suppose you don't want to hear this old man ramble on." He laughed trying to take Arthur's carry all. Arthur laughed and waved him away playfully. Sam patted the Point Man on the back as he escorted them both onto a waiting elevator.<p>

"Sam, Ariadne will be on my visitors list." Arthur told him on the ride up.  
>"Good to hear, Sir." Sam said and Ariadne blushed. As the elevator dinged opened Arthur escorted his Lady out. The Point Man felt a gentle pull on his sleeve. He turned his attention away from The Architect to the Doorman who whispered:<p>

"She's lovely, Sir." Arthur smiled and nodded as Sam stepped back into his elevator and closed the door. Ariadne was waiting for him to return to her. He fumbled with his rarely used keys and unlocked one of only two doors on the floor. Ariadne gasped at the inside of the apartment. It was large by any standards, let alone Manhattan. She thought briefly of her small apartment in Paris and how proud she felt to have such a nice home in a trendy neighborhood. This apartment made her's look plain and poor. The living room was modern and elegant. A smattering of antique furnishings tastefully mixed in. The kitchen was a chef's dream. A banquet could easily be prepared in it. Ariadne caught a quick glimpse down a hall to what she thought were other rooms. She couldn't find words.  
>"You grew up here?" She asked finally. Arthur sighed.<br>"I spent a lot of time away at school. After that, I joined the military. After I left the Military, I was working with Cobb on Extractions." He explained. "This was the place I _called_ home." He said looking up at the vaulted ceilings and expensive décor.

It suddenly dawned on her. The tailored suits. The careful manners. The ability to drop everything and sail around the world with her for a year.

"Your rich." She said flatly. He chuckled.

"I'm fine." He admitted. She shook her head.  
>"No, <em>fine<em> is affording a mortgage and a car payment. You have a huge home in Manhattan that you don't even use and no real job." She said with a laugh wondering how she could be so stupid.

"My parents left me this place after they died along with an inheritance. I invest in the market. My work in extractions gives me leverage." He admitted.

"Insider trading?" She said with a raised eye brow.  
>"Language." He accused in a shocked tone. "We never talked about money before."<p>

"We never talked about kids before." She said with a smile "We spent a year together and didn't _talk_ about anything."

"Well, we were busy... with... doing...stuff." He searched for the right words and when they came to him she giggled. "What about you?" He asked. "You've never cared about finding a real job." She nodded.

"Well, my Parents left me some holdings. My Grandfather managed them very well. When he died it was all in a trust for me and my education. He wanted me to study anything I wanted anywhere I wanted." She shrugged looking out the window at an impressive view. "He left me the apartment in Paris as well as "The Monitor". I guess money was never a real issue for me." She finished almost apologetically. He nodded.  
>"I don't really talk about all this..." He said looking around the expansive home "Because it was never really who I am, or wanted to be." He sighed. "I think the past two years, living in Japan, Morocco, on the boat. I think of those place as my home." He came up beside her and slipped his arms around her waist. Ariadne kept looking out the window. Pretending not to be affected by the Point Man. "My home is where ever you are." He whispered in her ear. He started to kiss her ear then. Her neck. Taking her her from behind, he wrapped his arms around her, preventing her escape. She was breathing hard as the Point Man started to loosen her clothes.<p>

"Arthur." She said softly. As if invoking his name awakened something in him, he turned her around and before she had time to react she was in his arms. He had swept her off her feet in his normal graceful movements.

"Let me show the bedroom." He said, pure lust in his eyes. She kissed him softly as she wraped her arms around his neck and allowed him to carry her down a long hallway. A hallway adorned with original artwork from post war British painters. The master suit was larger then her whole apartment in Paris. A massive oak bed with columns and canopy dominated the space and made Ariadne gasp. It was like something out of a fairy tale. She blushed softly at being so impressed at something Arthur cared nothing about. He had willing left a posh apartment in a vibrant city, to live with her on a small sailing ship visiting countries with very little luxury. A fondness for the Point Man overcame her then.

"I love you, Arthur." She whispered in his ear. He smiled at her. Then his face suddenly turned icy. He raised his head and gently put her down. She looked up at him, worried she had done something wrong. Arthur put his index finger to his lips. She nodded and found her pulse was beating rapidly. He left her standing in the middle of the bedroom. He vanished into a closet that was concealed behind a wall. The rooms were silent. She knew something was wrong. The Point Man had heard something she didn't. Then gruff noises invaded. Pounding and sounds of a struggle. Out in the hall Arthur appeared, he had a man on the floor. The Point Man held his large hands on the intruder. Ariadne felt her heart race at seeing him.

"Who are you?" Arthur said curtly. There was blood on the intruder's face. "Who sent you here? Answer me." The Point Man started gripping the intruders neck. The man gasped and struggled for breath. The man's face turned red as Arthur focused all his concentration on making the invader hurt.

"Arthur." came Ariadne's small voice. As if being broken from a spell, Arthur looked up. The sense of what he was doing flooded over him them. This was not something he wanted her to see.

"Don't look at this." Arthur said harshly. "Go into the bedroom, lock the door and call 911." He nodded at the Architect who just stood there, looking at both of them in shock. "Ariadne." Arthur said softly. His eyes were soft and kind on her. She nodded then and locked the bedroom door. Despite calling the police. She could still hear the loud sounds of fists hitting a face and Arthur's demanding who the man was.

The Police came quickly. They were kind and apologetic to what they assumed were a young couple coming home to find a robbery in progress.

"Normally we don't advocate fighting intruders." The officer said. "But after seeing what happened to your Doorman downstairs, You were right to defend yourselves."  
>"Sam?" Arthur asked. "What about our Doorman?"<p>

"I'm sorry Sir, I didn't know he was a friend." The Officer said looking deeply remorseful. "The gentleman was shot in the head. He was left in the elevator. A neighbor had also called us. Why we were here so fast." The Point Man felt the wind go out of him as he watched the intruder was hauled out of his home. If only the police hadn't come. If only his Lady was not there. What shouldn't he do to this man who killed his friend.

Ariadne was still safely stashed in his bedroom. Arthur knocked softly on the door.

"Ariadne, it's me." he said in a low voice. "The police are gone." She opened the door and embraced him.

"Arthur," She breathed into his chest as he held her close to his capable body.

"I didn't want you to see that." He tried to explain

"No, it's okay." She started crying. "When I was taken... I would imagine you hurting those men just like that." Hot bitter tears were running down her face onto his dress shirt and vest. He smoothed her hair. "It was my favorite thing to do in that basement." She finished. She had told him all the details of her experience with COBAL's kidnappers. He was always assuring her that he would never allow anyone to take her again, always followed my tender lovemaking.

"Arthur," She said softly "I don't want to stay here." She said

"Okay." He said simply kissing the top of her head. "We can go." He released her and took her hand. He quickly grabbed of their two bags and handed her the worn leather carry all she always took everywhere. They had reached the door when she stopped him.

"I want to say good bye to Sam first." She said. Arthur sighed.

"Ariadne..."


	5. Chapter 5

Action

**Sorry I had to introduce poor Sam just to have him killed. I'm not that kind of girl. Oh wait... I'm exactly that kind of girl! Also, his chapter is called Action because the Team is deciding what to do... and we may see some A&A action. **

"Thank God your both alright." Eames was saying. It was evening when the Point Man and the Architect had returned to the hotel in defeat. Arthur had wanted a lovely day out with his Lady. He wanted to make love to her, take her out to eat, show her his favorite haunts. Instead, after he broke the news to her of Sam, they wanted nothing more then to call the Team and return to the safety of their friends.

"Who was he?" Cobb asked.

"Took some work, but he admitted that he works for Edwards." Arthur said sitting down in a comfortable chair. He felt exhausted. "As far as the police were concerned, he broke his fingers in the fight." Arthur added sharply. Ariadne had retreated with Sybil and Yori to a bedroom. Hecate stood in the other room. Not apart of the Team, and still with them. Eames had poured his friend some scotch in ice and handed it to the Point Man. Arthur nodded and gently sipped it before rubbing the cool glass on his head. He almost never drank. It wasn't his or Ariadne's style. But Forger knew the Point Man needed to relax.

"Edwards knows were here." Cobb said. Saito stood.

"I'm alerting hotel security and engaging a privet guard." The business man said. Cobb nodded. "Cobb," Saito added sadly "Perhaps you should contact the people who are with the Children." Cobb followed Saito out of the room to make calls necessary to protect their families.

"I'm sorry this happened." Hecate said leaving her isolation. Arthur cut her a hard look.

"Just tell me were close to getting this guy." The Point Man.

It was nearly midnight before everyone could gather in the now crowded hotel suite. With Cobb and Braker's team, as well as Satio and Yori, there were thirteen of them. When Hecate had told Braker what happened in Arthur's home, the Australian (ever friendly) had given her a warm hug. Whispered she had made it though worse, that Edwards didn't know who he were messing with. What fool would pick a fight with the Architect who could trap COBAL's extractor? Ariadne had cast an appreciative smile at the Australian. She seemed to take what he said to heart. Arthur could only fester. Braker had a natural way with Ariadne. He had never asked her about how close they were. He sensed it was platonic. Like her relationship with Cobb or Eames. But there was something special about their friendship. Braker had a wife (who divorced him after the PASIV-4 hospitalized him) and Ariadne had been his friend to talk to. Even if it was only email and the visit last year to Australia.

"Edwards sent an assassin to Arthur's home here in the city." Cobb told them. "We need to step up our extraction."

"As well as our possible Inception." Eames added from the window. The Forger looked down at the people walking, city that never sleeps. "We don't know what we may find in his mind."

"How many of us are going in?" Sybil asked.

"Your not." Cobb answered her. Sybil looked hurt. Cobb, sensing he didn't appreciate her skills, added "We need you outside as our control. The Team is large and Yori needs your experience in case something goes wrong."  
>"In case you have to go in like before." Yori added. Sybil seemed appeased by this.<br>"But that is not going to happen." Cobb said. "The Team is the Australians, Myself, Hecate, Eames, Arthur and Ariadne."

"Ten people all sharing the dream? Why so many?" Ariadne asked.

"CEO's are being taught by extractors to defend themselves." Braker told her. "We have to assume Edwards subconscious is like an army. My Team is trained for this kind of work."  
>"Looks like you have your work cut out for you." Cobb said nodding to her.<p>

"I'm up for it." Ariadne said with a smile.

"You can work with our man Roy here." Braker said patting the short Australian Architect on the back. "He's rubbish, but better then nothing."

"How many levels?" Eames asked.

"Five." Hecate said. "There is no fear of Limbo now. We can use a sedative to stabilize each level."

"Five levels, will be very hard to sync a kick to. With Fischer and Browning, we were lucky." Arthur said, ever the pessimist.

"No, you were good." Hecate said. "All of you knew your jobs, understood the dream world and were able to work together. That is why COBAL was afraid. That is why Edwards sent a man after you. Because he is afraid."

"Arthur's right." Eames said turning away from the window. "We were lucky the past few times. We need to be very careful about how we bring ourselves back out again."

"We can use the music as a count down like before. We need to plan a simple kick on the top level, stronger, after each level down." Cobb said.

"Assuming this new compound works like in the experiments." Yori said "If you do drop into Limbo, you won't remember anything except the top six levels. Limbo will seem like a normal dream."

"If there is a problem, how do we bring you out from our end?" Sybil asked. "Go into the dream and shoot you in the head again?"

"The machine will activate with each passing dream level." Hecate told her.

"It will tell you how deep were in. Give readings for each of us. When you see one of us go off the grid, they will be in Limbo. That's your cue to stop treatment and bring them out." Cobb told her. "Only I have more experience in Limbo then you do." He admitted. "Your the perfect Control." Sybil finally smiled at this. She had a real job, a role in the Team.

"So when do we grab this Joker*?" Arthur asked

"We need to find that out. Research his life. Find out if and when he will have any dental or medical procedures. Any long flights." Braker told the Point Man. Eames nodded.

"Anything that will put him under." The Forger added. "We also need one more thing." The group all looked at him. Eames shrugged. "We need a simple little idea."

As dawn broke, everyone felt the drag of exhaustion over take them. The privet security guards had arrived. A burly group of former military men. The type who loved their work and who's hearts never left the structure of the armed forces. They were quick to install metal detectors, and stopped anyone from coming onto the floor. Even the maid's cart was stopped and searched. The maid told to leave. One of the guards even went to the store to provide the team with food and other necessitates, making room service unnecessary.  
>"It's nice what money can buy." Eames whispered to Cobb nodding at the guards.<p>

Inside their privet suite, Arthur showered and tried to ignore the headache he felt coming on. Ariadne gave him a smile as he left the bathroom. The Teams had spent all night planning and now was the time to sleep. Arthur had no energy left in him and only put on pajama bottoms.

"Remind me never to drink again." He said crawling into their large clean bed. She laughed.

"So I guess a little loving is out the question?" She asked rubbing lotion on her arms. Arthur sat up and smiled.  
>"That's never out of the question. You know better then to ask." She stood up and shed the white Kimono robe she had bought in Japan, just last week, to reveal a transparent nightie.<p>

"When... when did you pick _that_ up?" He asked, his eyes wide. His hands moved under the covers. She smiled shyly at him.  
>"You know me." She explained. "Your not to tired are you?" She asked sweetly. He smiled and shook his head.<p>

"Never." He said shifting under the covers as he removed his pajama bottoms. She climbed in the bed and knelt before him just out of arms reach. She could see his hand under the covers, working.

"Come here." He said looking at her body, totally nude under the sheer fabric.

"No." She said. He shifted slightly, looking angry.

"Are you being a tease again?" He accused. His breath coming in and out rapidly. "You know what happens to a tease."

"I know." She said with a smile. She moved her hand down between her legs, rubbing herself. She bit her lip slightly and she rocked gently on her own hand. Arthur tried to reach for her, but she was just out of his reach. He gasped working himself harder. Looking at his Lady, her exposed body, her lips, red from her biting, her big eyes looking at him, her hands moving, her hips rocking.

"Come here!" He barked. She smiled and shook her head. He had enough. With a mixture of anger and lust he seized her. Her breathing was rapid as he pulled her under him.

"What did I say was going to happen to a tease?" He huffed angrily moving his hand over her now exposed area, hot and wet from her own touch. She gasped and arched and he delved his fingers into her. Grinding his hand on her.

"Arthur." She breathed hotly. He was far to excited. She was to beautiful. He couldn't wait anymore to have her. Her body was wanting as he mounted and road her. He told her to keep her eyes open as he trusted harder. She was gasping and rocking with him as he suddenly came. Breathless and now truly exhausted, he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

***Joker, na na na na na na na na BATMAN! **


	6. Chapter 6

Dream Space

Arthur awoke to a sunset. Ariadne had just come in the room and sat beside him on their bed. She was wearing the White Kimono but had the modesty to wear silk pajamas under it. He breathed in the sight of her.  
>"You were most unladylike." He said softly. "I feel taken advantage of." She giggled.<br>"Are you hungry?" She asked "I made coffee and toasted some English muffins." He smiled at her as he twined his fingers in hers.  
>"I'm afraid." He said.<br>"Of what?" She asked looking worried.

"That this is a dream and I'm about to wake up." He admitted feeling the luxury of a warm bed and a beautiful woman.

"Well, if you do decide to wake up, I'll be in the kitchen." She said kissing him on the forehead.

After getting showered and dressed, Arthur joined his Team for breakfast. Ariadne (fully dressed) was showing Cobb and Sybil some of her photographs.

"The markets." She said pointing out each one. "Trust me when I was in them, if _felt_ like a maze. I thought they would be an excellent maze for the top level. Now here is the catch, what really makes the markets confusing is the different languages. If the Roy is the dreamer, and I stay with him while the rest of you go deeper, my subconscious can help to populate the dream. I can fill it with projections of foreign speaking people. This can confuse Edwards projections."

"That's brilliant." Sybil declared looking up from the colorful Greek market. "How many languages do you know?"

"I can get by in France, Spain, Greece, Japan, and Italy." Ariadne said nonchalantly.

"Hmm. You can _get by_ in all those places speaking English. I can _get by_ in all those places plus Brazil and China." The Girl said. "Cobb it should be me on the first level, I know more languages." Cobb sighed.

"We have already been though this." The Extractor said. "Ariadne, this is great. I want you and Roy on it right away. What did you have in mind for the second and third level?"  
>"Do we have our simple idea yet?" Ariadne asked. Cobb shook his head.<br>"Edwards is a self made man." Arthur said helping himself to the coffee. "Self made men are not afraid of much. They are not easy to manipulate."

"Satio is a self made man." Sybil said "Maybe if we find out what he's afraid of, we can find out what our boy Edwards is afraid of." Cobb cast the Girl/Control a look. A look that he reserved for Team members who came up with great ideas.

"Before Limbo, I was mainly concerned about foreign powers taking over." Saito admitted. He had joined them in the meeting the Team had assembled. "After Limbo, my priorities changed." He tried not to look at Yori.

"The threat of foreign influences on your country? Or foreign companies taking over?" Hecate asked.

"Both." Saito told her

"Japan can be a very isolated country." Yori explained. "Much of Asia is distrustful of western influences."

"The same can be said of many Americans." Eames said. "I bet Edwards is just a xenophobic as anyone." Ariadne nodded.

"Sure, there is a fear of immigration and outsourcing." She said. "There always hot button issues. Right up there with religion and abortion."

"How can we suggest that abandoning dream extraction will save his country?" Arthur asked. His small notebook and pen in hands.  
>"In America, Dream extraction is not illegal, but not thought highly of. They use it for memory regression, Therapy." Braker said. "Could we suggest he pay a senator off to make extraction illegal?"<p>

"Right, Maybe campaign to put the genie back in the bottle?" Eames said.  
>"How would that stop him from utilizing extractions? Politicians preach things all the time and go right around a do them." Sybil said<p>

"Make him believe that dream extractions and inceptions will hurt _him_." Saito said. Eames smiled and pointed to the business man.

"_That_ is our simple idea." He said.

A few days went by. The Team was obsessed with planning the large extraction/inception. All of them worked day and night on the project. They were so busy Ariadne had not noticed Arthur had left for several hours. He returned later that evening to see his Lady working on sketches of mazes.

"Hello." He said taking off his coat. She looked up at him and frowned.

"Where did you go?" She asked. He looked distracted. "Umm, just out." He said.

"With Edwards people out for us?" She said suspiciously

"Yes." I was fine. He seemed nervous and went strait to their room.

"Save the date, Ladies." Eames said. "In one day, we go in."

"How?" Arthur asked.

"Edwards and his oldest son Hector* are taking a flight into Berlin. Satio's airline, first class, 13 hours at least." Braker told them.

"That sounds perfect." The Australian Chemist said.

"To perfect." Sybil accused. "What if it's a trap?"

"We can gas them, the same way COBAL did us." Cobb said.

"I can prepare that." Hecate told them.

"We would have to stay in coach till we were up in the air." Arthur added

"Excuse me!" Sybil said shouted. "What if it's a trap?"

"That's why we have you as Control, Little One." Eames told her with a smile.

Later that evening Arthur watched Ariadne go to the bathroom for her shower before going to bed. He waited till he heard water running and drug out the PASIV device and hooked himself up.

Ariadne came out of the bathroom to see the Point Man dreaming peacefully on their bed. The hiss of the device telling her he was in a dream. She had to smile at him. The old game of meeting in the dream world made her feel giddy. She hooked herself up to the PASIV and fell into the dream after him.  
>She awoke to Paris. The city of lights was empty of people and had all the reminders of the Paris Arthur had created for her while they had kept their relationship secret. She felt where Arthur was. She walked a quick path to the warehouse the Team had used while working on the Fischer Inception. A short elevator ride up and she arrived on the floor she thought she remembered. It must have taken Arthur a long time. Moroccan style lanterns were hung from the ceiling. They cast a beautiful, colorful glow in the warehouse. Japanese water lilies were in a small pond. She had to cross a little red bridge to get over the pond and saw Koi Fish swimming around. She crossed over the ruins of a Tibetan temple and into a French Cafe. All of this, inside the disused warehouse. Arthur was standing by a candle lit table. He was dressed beautifully in a very fine suit. He looked so handsome then that it put the world he created for her to shame.<br>"I wanted to bring you little pieces of our home." He told her lightly indicating the lamps and the pond. "I was never sure what you liked best."

"My God Arthur," She gasped, approaching him"This is beautiful. Why?" She almost regretted the question as the Point Man knelt down before her. She wanted to tell him no, to stand up. But he looked so handsome, he looked up at her with sincere eyes.

"Ariadne..." He stated, looking nervous. He took her hand gently in his, his other hand holding a large stoned ring. "Ariadne, I want you to be my wife." She said nothing as she felt her self start to shake and tears begin to fall. "Please to me this honor. Please be my home, forever." He asked. She smiled at that. She found herself nodding.

"Yes." She said softly "Yes, of course I'll marry you." tears of joy were falling over her cheeks. He quickly slid the ring on her left ring finger and stood. For what seemed like a long time, they stood there in the dream. Holding each other. The beauty of a dream they didn't want to wake from.

***Hector, Price of Troy during Trojan War**


	7. Chapter 7

The Extraction

**I based Ariadne's ring on a family ring I have. One of the great disappointments of my life is that people from that time had such small hands and I can't were it without getting it re-sized. Trust me it gorgeous! Puts Kate Middelton's engagement ring to shame!**

**Just FYI, readers who LOVE A&A may be really pissed off after the next two chapters.**

Ariadne looked at the engagement ring Arthur had given her. Once more in the waking world, the antique ring was stunningly beautiful. Arthur had explained it belonged to his great, great grandmother. Who had fled from Europe to New York during the Great War. It had a large, oval shaped, clear brown diamond at its heart and held the feel and weight of generations of his loved ones. It felt strange to have such a beautiful thing on her small hands. She kept feeling it was to big. To noticeable. The gold around the diamond was heavy and detailed. Showing it's age but with a reserved beauty not found in modern jewelery.

"If you don't like it," Arthur said noticing her once more looking at it. "I can always get you a ring you do like."

"No!" She said shocked "I love it. I love that it belonged to all the brides of your family." She found herself trembling again. "I just... hope I can take care of it and keep it safe... for..." She blushed. She almost said, 'for our _son_ to give to _his_ bride' but thought better of it. The time right now was to perfect. She wouldn't allow herself to look to far into the future. Arthur nodded and finished packing. They had been grinning stupidly at one another all morning. It took them far to long to pack.

The day of Edwards extraction had come. They would be leaving for Berlin in an hour. They had decided not to tell the Team of their engagement. They didn't want to divert attention away from the mission. But surely the Team would see the blushes. The smiles. Ariadne didn't want to take her ring off. It was exactly her style and she did as Arthur (her _fiancés_ ) suggested, and turned it around so only the gold band was visible. After so many decades of ware, the gold had lost a good deal of shine and might go unnoticed.

A brief meeting and revision of the plan before the Teams made there way to the airport. Only Saito stayed behind to be with Shin. They were quickly seated in coach, a section they had all to themselves as Saito had directed the plane to be empty except for Edwards and his Son and the two Teams. A flight attendant told them Edwards and Hector were seated in first class and the plane was soon airborne. Once it leveled out, the Teams were in motion. Hecate quickly hooked up a canister to the ventilation system of the plane. In every vent except the cockpit, the gas enveloped. The Teams and solitary attendant stood behind the first class cabin in gas masks, waiting. After three minuets, the Teams advanced. Edwards was an older man but still looked perfectly fit and healthy. Yori quickly took his vitals and that of Hector's (who would be left out of the dream).

"Were all good here." She told the them. Very quickly the Teams opened up the PASIV and took out ten IVs with white securing cuffs. They all seated themselves in the remaining seats, Arthur and Eames hefted Hector out and put him in a seat behind first class.

"Keep and eye on him, Little One." Eames told the Control. Sybil nodded. After they had all seated themselves and had white IV's trailing from there wrists, Cobb nodded to Sybil

"Good luck." The Control said pushing the button and sending them in.

It was a noisy market place. Full of bright colors. Confusing languages. Cobb had to admit, it would take a lot for projections to find them here. The Team quickly found Edwards. He was wandering the market place, looking at all the different stalls. It was easy for Eames and Braker to impersonate his sons Hector and Paris* and talk to him. Edwards was more likely to listen to them in the strange market of foreign tongues. They talked politics, of Edwards running for public office. Fanning his vanity. For a few days, the team watched him. They sensed Edwards projections trying to find them. But the maze of the market was a good one. It moved organically and it's projections were at Ariadne's will. Edwards happily talked about all politics with his sons. And soon enough the subject had come around to dream extractions.  
>"There going to blow up the world." Braker said disguised as Paris. "These people have no laws to govern what they do. What's to stop them form getting the command codes for our nukes?"<p>

"I agree." Edwards said "Why we need to have the run of it."

"No, we need to get rid of it all together." Eames said disguised as Hector. Edwards laughed

"But then how would _we_ control things?" The old man asked

Back in the waking world the Control and the Doctor were knelt in front of Ariadne. The Girl was holding the Architect's left hand and looking over the ring there.  
>"That is one <em>bitching<em> engagement ring." Sybil said moving the stone in and out of the light but never taking it off Ariadne's hand.  
>"She and Arthur didn't say anything." Yori said. "My God, look at it. Do you think it's real?"<p>

"Oh No." Sybil said mockingly "I think Arthur sprang for a _fake_ diamond." Yori cast Sybil a look as they continued to admire the fine stone.

Back on the first layer of the dream, they prepared to go in deeper.

"Remember," Arthur said to his Lady, "Let Roy take point. He was trained for this. If the projections find you, run away."

"No fear of Limbo." She told him. He smiled and gave her a quick kiss before Eames and Braker drugged Edwards and hooked him up to the PASIV.

The second layer was a maze of futuristic proportions. A city, complete with pollution and neon signs in foreign languages. Eames and Braker, Still as Hector and Paris respectively. Told Edwards about these foreign competitors immigrating into America. Putting people out of work. Edwards seemed to be thinking heavily on this.

"They used those damn extractions to make money off the stock market." Braker said as Paris. "They bought us all out." He explained waving at the slums.

"We don't even own this country anymore." Eames added. A few weeks at this level, Edwards own projections of his sons soon feed the idea right back to him. Eames and Braker disguised themselves as everything from extractors on trial for insider trading, to foreign CEO's buying American companies. Proudly proclaiming they made there money off dream extractions. Cobb, Arthur, Hecate and the Australians kept busy fending off the highly militarized projections. Arthur and the Australian Chemist stayed behind in the city as the others went deeper.

The third level was Edwards living in total poverty. A safe was built for Edwards to hide his secrets and valuables so Cobb and Hecate could steal them on this level. Hecate and Cobb stayed behind as Eames, Braker, the Australian Point Man and Extractor took him down further.

Back on the first level, Ariadne was running from the projections. The Maze was good, but not good enough. Roy had kept them both away from the projections but there was to much time on this level and they were running out of places to hide.

Fourth level had Edwards running for president, on the platform of outlawing extractions. He won in a landslide. Braker and the Australian Extractor stayed behind as Eames and the Australian Point Man took Edwards to the final level.

As president, Edwards had the respect and power he craved. Soon enough, Eames realized the Inception wouldn't take. Edwards was cocky. Confident that his use of dream extraction had given him inside information that won him the race.

Roy and Ariadne place headphones over Arthur's ears with the music that would start the kick. They had lined the Teams in chairs to be simultaneously "kicked" into the first level. Projections were closing in quickly. Roy told her to run as he fended them off. She went to a side door but was confronted by a mob of projections. It was so fast, a gun went off. Pain in her abdomen. She looked down at herself. Bright red blood was blooming out of her open wound. Ariadne placed her hand over it. Hot blood pouring over her beautiful ring. She saw black as she fell into Limbo.

On the fourth level, the projections turned on Braker and the Australian Extractor. Braker felt the kick but missed it. He looked up to see his team mate a well as Edwards, Eames and the Australian Point Man had vanished. They had road the kick out without him. He felt the knife in his back and the projections beating him as he fell into Limbo.

It was a brief fight as the Team cam out on the first level. Braker stayed on the floor. Eyes still closed in peaceful sleep. Arthur and the others quickly fought back the projections before he noticed Ariadne's body. It was a shock to see her dead on the ground. Blood over her. Her eyes opened.

"What happened?" he barked.

"Projections closed in." Roy shouted. Hecate and Cobb sedated Edwards.

"How did it go?" Cobb asked Eames.  
>"It didn't take." Eames said desperately.<p>

"Ariadne's in Limbo, get her out." Sybil said.

"So is Braker." Yori said. Sybil disconnected Ariadne from the device and looked at the PASIV.

"There all back on the first level. Lets wake them up." She said. Yori nodded as the Control pulled the emergency stop.

In Limbo, there were children. Beautiful faces. Their laughter was musical. Ariadne was teaching them French. Braker taught them to fish. They all lived together in a lovely little house in a forest. She and Braker were raising their children there. These beautiful Children were theirs. This simple life was theirs. It was peaceful, warm and happy. She loved Braker in this place. Braker loved her.

Then she was awake. Sybil was in front of her and that simple, beautiful life faded rapidly. Ariadne tried to hold onto it. Tried to keep it. She knew it was only a dream, but she wanted it back.

"Ariadne? Are you okay?" Sybil asked. Yori was by her side then. Taking her vitals. She turned around to look at the Teams. Arthur was seated across the aisle from her. She had forgotten all about him. Ariadne turned to look at Braker. He looked agitated as Sybil tried to calm him. She kept saying things like "you out" but he was still breathing hard.

"Are you okay?" Arthur asked. Ariadne nodded.

"Hecate's formula worked. It felt just like a regular dream." She told him. Tears were running down her cheeks. "It's fading." She added. She concentrated then. She couldn't find the faces of her children in her mind. The Children she shared with Braker in Limbo.

***Paris, Prince of Troy who stole Helen away from her husband, causing the Trojan war. **


	8. Chapter 8

Retreat

**Sorry! I'm that kind of girl. **

"We failed." Eames said as Yori kept Edwards sedated. "Edwards thinks the Dream Extraction will make him more powerful."

"Get away." Braker said harshly to Sybil standing up and leaving the first class cabin.  
>"He was in Limbo." Sybil told the Australians. The Girl looked at Ariadne.<p>

"Did it work like Hecate said?" She asked. The Teams looked at the Architect. Ariadne nodded and told the truth.  
>"I... I dreamed. I remember the market. But Limbo... it feels like a regular... dream. I... I cant remember." She stammered. Arthur was by her side then. She looked into his eyes and she remembered him now. How could she have forgotten about Arthur? She suddenly remembered, she was going to marry <em>him<em>. She was going to be _his_ wife. Have _his_ children.

"I'm going to marry you." She whispered to him. He nodded and smiled. He took out a cloth handkerchief and gently wiped away her tears.

"Yeah we know." Sybil said loudly. "We saw the ring."

The plane made an unexpected stop in Paris before going to Berlin to let the team off. By their careful planning, Cobb took his team back to the warehouse they used for the Fischer Inception. The Warehouse Arthur used for his dream proposal. It felt strange to be back at the beginning of their journey only to re-group now in defeat. Eames gravely told them of Edwards failed Inception.

"We can try again." Sybil said.

"No." Eames told them "His subconscious will be prepared now. "It was always one shot."

"So what now?" Sybil asked.  
>"We still have the information we extracted from the other levels." Cobb told them. "Edwards has holding in all sorts of companies. We can get this information to Saito. We can use it to brake him."<br>"Did Edwards have Yuseff killed?" Ariadne asked.

"Yes." Hecate said sadly. "She looked at Cobb who nodded. "Edwards had files on all of us. Including myself and Yori." The Doctor was taken aback by this news. She quickly pulled out her cell phone and dialed Saito.

"Are you sure your alright?" Arthur asked Ariadne. She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. Trying to remember faces, trying to remember names. She looked up at him and nodded. She turned to Braker then who was staring at them darkly.  
>"I say we go back tot he Hotel outside the city." Cobb said gently. "We can think of our next move then."<p>

"Were going back home." The Australian Extractor told Cobb. Next flight out. "Sorry it didn't work out Mate, it was worth a try."

The realization that Braker was leaving filled Ariadne with horror. She couldn't show it. She and Braker had made eye contact then and she ducked away from the group and retreated to the bathrooms. She washed her face and tried to calm down. It seemed a long time that she hid there. She knew Braker was beside her suddenly and looked up.  
>"Your going with <em>him<em> aren't you?" He said in a voice filled with hurt.

"Of course I am." She said harshly. Drying her face on a paper towel. "I'm going to marry him. Why wouldn't I go with him?"

"You don't remember anything about Limbo?" He asked.

"Just bits and pieces." She told him not wanting to meet his eyes.

"We were together." He told her

"It was just a dream." She whispered. "I don't remember all of it."  
>"We were together for years." He said sadly.<p>

"You remember?" She asked trying to keep her voice down.

"I think I may have become immune to Hecate's formula. In the same way extractors become immune to normal dreaming." He admitted. "I remember all of it." She shook her head.  
>"Well I don't." she hissed her face growing hot. "I don't remember their faces. I don't even remember their names." She turned her back on him then.<p>

"Tomas and Ava." Braker said. "Our Children, were named Tomas and Ava."


End file.
